Dreams of a Broken Moon
by LePapillonRouge
Summary: An AU fic involving when the Persona 4 group went to Gekkoukan High.


Disclaimer: I don't own Atlus, who owns a bunch of awesome games.

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To think we'd actually come here…for a field trip of all things.

What a ridiculous idea. Japan has many places to offer to its students…Kyoto, with its historical allure. Okinawa's blue skies and blue seas…Osaka's food…even Tokyo, crowded as it is, would've made a better location than this place.

But for the rest of the class, it doesn't seem to matter. They're just happy to be outside their little town for once in their desperate country lives. Everything in this artificial land seems new and exciting to them, while to me, it represents the place where there is only old news, sadness…and a constant reminder that, no matter what I do, I am always alone.

: d r e a m s o f a b r o k e n m o o n :

"Hello, and welcome to Gekkoukan High School," ushered in the cheery voice of the student body president. "Gekkoukan High is very proud to extend its hand to other schools in order to create new bonds with them. We believe that such bonds help promote cooperation between students and possibly even new friendships. Who knows, you might even find love here, if you're lucky," she grinned, blinking a little. "Oh dear, I got off track…now what did Kirijo-senpai say afterward…oh yes…"

The president continued on her speech. Although most times I would have the decency to pay attention, the fact that I was _here_, at this place, distracted me. I tried my hardest not to look away at a building not too far from the school's, but every so often I had to glimpse at the place.

"Hey! Are you all right?" asked the president to me. Apparently the speech had ended and she was handing out the schedule at the school to me. She glanced where I had been looking and sighed. "That's the old dorm. It's not being used anymore, unfortunately, since…it serves no purpose anymore," she replied, "There weren't a lot of people who lived there. Maybe eight or so people."

"Is that so?" I replied.

"Yes. Well, I've been trying to convince the rest of the council to open the dorm for less wealthy students so they can come here, but they aren't really fond of reopening it again. For the students who used to live there, there are some bad memories for them, and they oppose it as well. It's really sad…it's going to waste there," she replied, lifting her spectacles absentmindedly. "Oh, but enough about that old thing! It doesn't concern you too much. Here, your schedule," she said, holding out the schedule. I grabbed it quickly out of her hand, feeling disappointed about her opinion on 'that old thing'. "Take care of yourself!"

I nodded, and walked toward the school to start this part of the trip. But I'm sure that, as I was walking, the president whispered, "…what a startling resemblance."

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After periods of lecture, interesting and not so much, there was a break. It was rather amusing to see the older ones lament that lack of free time given more than the younger ones. However, I didn't know many people here yet, but I didn't want to. I had to see the inside of that dorm somehow. It was important to me… When most people weren't paying attention, I went outside from a side entrance closer to the dorm, not intending to take the rest of the classes today.

"Hey, you!" shouted a voice from behind me. It was some man that I've never seen before. I turned to him. For a second he looked excited, but then he appeared disappointed. He scratched his goatee as he walked up to me. "Sorry, kid. I could've sworn…"

"Don't mention it," I replied, "It's not a problem."

"Oh, you're one of those kids from the country school, huh?" he asked, noticing my uniform. "I guess I shouldn't have shouted at you. Sorry. But shouldn't you be inside the school, not outside of it? Are you lost?"

I shook my head. He was a bit annoying for being unnecessary apologetic, but at least he was trying to be polite. "I'm trying to go to that building right there."

"No way," he exclaimed unexpectedly, given his casual demeanor before, pointing to the dorm. "S.E.E.S. members only. Well, former S.E.E.S. members. But no strangers," he sighed, "Well, that's what the upperclassmen ruled last year before they left the school. You see, it's a bit of …memorial for us."

"S.E.E.S?" I asked. "Like…'sees'? And memorial?"

"Yeah. It stands for something, but it's a dead organization, so it doesn't matter. And for your next question…we have a couple of friends who died last year who lived in the dorm. One of them was my best friend. Amazing guy. Girls loved him. Heck, I think guys loved him too, but were afraid to admit it. He was one of the greatest people I've ever met…and he was only at this school for a year."

"…is…that so….?" I repeated, slowly. We paused for some time. I kept my head lowered for a while I felt the sun's heat touch my neck. "But…you can't make an exception?" I asked suddenly, to the surprise of both of us. "I…I'm curious. And I'd like to pay my respects for your friends, as much as I possibly can."

He looked back and forth, seeing around for some invisible people that I didn't see. I'm not sure why. Maybe he would think that his upperclassmen, most likely in college, would come back today to enforce their rules. "Yeah, sure, why not? I was never good at following rules, anyway. Besides, he might like to see a new face."

The man and I walked to the dorm, not saying much. He seemed to be in a melancholy mood, thinking about his old friend, as was I. The wind in the school was nonexistent, and the sun beat down on us, almost as it was an obstacle preventing the pathway to the dorm. But I couldn't stop now. I had come too far now to worry about the consequences that inevitably lay in store for me.

He fumbled his keys out of his pocket and opened the door to the dorm. It seemed as if it was once bustled with life through its corridors, but its emptiness filled the floors. Somehow this abandoned place had been kept tidy, however…

"The girls do a good job cleaning the place, don't they?" he asked, as if to answer my unspoken question. "They all come in every once in a while. Too bad they're going to demolish this place soon…but it might be best for all of us. We all need to move on with our lives," he sighed, pointing to one corridor. "I'm going to visit my buddy's room, if you don't mind."

"May I come with you inside?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure. It's actually nothing special, besides the flowers and presents on the desk," he added as we went onward. The door to his friend's room was unlocked, unlike the rest of the rooms, and he was right. There were dying roses and daffodils on the table, with a teddy bear with a bright red ribbon on it. A stack of girls' manga lay near them. It was all kept neat and tidy.

"Well, I'm going to meditate here. Thank goodness they let us have the day off when you guys came….hey, what are you doing? Don't touch anything! This place is sacred…"

My hand was on the drawer of his friend's desk when he grabbed my hand. I wriggled him off, I was already here and I wasn't going to let him stop me. No one was…

"What are you doing?!"

I opened the door as he pulled me away as a stack of letters flew out along with the drawer. The drawer fell down to the ground as I desperately tried to find the one that I wanted while pushing him away.

"Dammit, what are you doing? That was his private letters you know!"

I ignored him, looking past all the opened letters. It had to be here somewhere…there had to be.

"Huh? All these letters are addressed to someone named 'Fuyumi'…don't tell me that he had a secret lover this whole time. The girls—oh screw it, Yukari's gonna be the most pissed…"

As he finished, I had finally found the letter I'd been looking for. Selfish as I was acting, I still greedily opened the letter, which dropped a picture on the floor near my feet. I read the letter, slowly contemplating the contents. The man near me had given up by now, and now was distracted by the picture which I had left behind. He picked it up while I was halfway done with the letter.

"What the…is that two of him? Except…it's…" he stammered as he looked at me. He flipped over the photo and read the back. He tipped his baseball cap toward me. "Hey, I'm sorry about how I acted just now. Man…he never bothered telling us about…"

"It's all right. He…was instructed not to tell a soul about me, and I about him. The only way we could ever communicate was through these letters. You see…" I paused, looking through the window shimmering with the glitter of the sun, "…my brother had problems with my grandfather. He always thought that it was unfair how he lived while his own son and his wife could not. He had to live with other relatives while I lived with my grandfather. But even though it was hard for us to communicate in the beginning, we began to send letters to each other. In his last year, he started realizing that he was living on borrowed time. When he started to attend this high school, I noticed that he was sending fewer letters, and when he did, it sounded like he was leaving something out. But…in the end, he came back to the place where he was born to …"

"…end what began ten years ago."

"…that's right," I replied, clenching my fist, "…only after this letter he wrote…when he actually told the truth…did I realize that. But at least he was finally honest with me. Personas…the Dark Hour…shadows…to me, it sounds like gibberish. But it's not a lie, is it?"

He seemed slightly annoyed, but then he looked sad. "…he really did say it to you then, even though it was in a letter he never actually sent you. But yeah, it's true."

"…if only he had said the truth a little sooner," I whispered. I took the letters and collected them into a bag as fast as possible. I'd already trouble my brother's friend enough. However, he started helping me out anyway, which I thought was stupid, but I didn't stop him.

"Say…I was wondering. Did your brother have a different name?" he asked me as he helped finish the last piles of letter.

"…when he was younger."

"What was it exactly?"

I picked up the letter I read last, along with the picture which he had dropped on the floor. On the picture, it was my brother and I smiling in a day in a random city. My brother's guardians had taken us before he had left for this place. I sighed. Would it even be possible for me to smile the way I did that day now that he was gone? Again, I was reminded that it was impossible for me to have any decent human relationships. Even with the one who I loved the most, the one who understood how I acted, why I acted, how I felt, how I thought…it was impossible for him to be with me anymore.

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"…now, it's my turn," I said, smirking with the daily façade of maturity with a group of classmates I had taken an interest in the night after the trip to the dorm. Somehow I had been coerced to play a certain game which usually is played amongst drinkers. "How exactly are you related to the murders in Inaba?"

One of my upperclassmen, who for some idiotic reason was acting drunk when I was totally and utterly sure that no alcoholic beverages were being served at this hotel, replied, "We go into the tv and summon our Personas!"

I was shocked. Personas? Personas had to do with the case in Inaba like it did with my brother? I couldn't believe it. But I couldn't let them know that I actually knew about it, so I acted like they were lying to me. It wasn't hard…too many on the force had already treated me like a child the way that my upperclassmen was at the moment.

"It's TRUE!" shouted a classmate of me, a very famous one at that.

I still scoffed at the idea. I knew they weren't lying and that I could trust their word, but explaining this possibility was ridiculous to the police…and plus, the whole Persona business took my brother away. It was stupid to just point the blame on it…but…I couldn't stop blaming it. As everyone left for their rooms, I stayed behind, picking up for them to gather my thoughts and to avoid the group for a while. The letter slipped from my pocket as I grabbed a cup to put into the trash can.

"Damn," I cursed, trying to grab the letter, when it was snatched. I cocked my head up to see another upperclassman, a gray haired guy, pick it up. He was the least irritating of them all…mostly because he was quiet the entire game except when he had asked his friend to give him a piggyback ride. Or, so I thought.

"Excuse me, but can I have it back, please?" I asked, a little annoyed. I was already tired and disappointed as it was. All I was looking forward on this trip was going home.

He tilted his head, looking curiously at the letter. "…if you don't mind me asking…why is this letter addressed to someone named 'Fuyumi Shirogane?'"

"Ack!" I exclaimed, snatching it back and stuffing into my pocket, "…it…it's my m-mom's. It's kinda embarrassing stuff…" I sputtered. It's not like he knew I _didn't_ have a mom. He knew nothing about me, dammit. I took a good stare at him to scare him, but somehow looking at him just scared me. For some reason, I had a strange sense of nostalgia toward him. The way he acted…he was just like…

"From someone named Minato Shirogane…interesting…" he nodded, picking up a jacket from the couch. "Sorry to have bothered you, Shirogane Naoto-san…Minato-san…Fuyumi-san, whoever you might be," he replied, walking away for two steps before stopping and staring at me.

"Oh…and if you didn't notice…you've got tears in your eyes. Take care of yourself."

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God, I have proven to myself that I can write a one-shot fanfiction!

P.S Please read and review, especially people who have played Persona 3. I've never actually played it, so I really want to know if I got any facts wrong. I've always wanted to play with the possibility that Naoto and Minato were related.

P.P.S. I totally swear the Souji/Naoto thing was on a whim. I'm more of a Souji/Yukiko and Kanji/Naoto person myself.


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